Following God Instead of Your Emotions

Our emotions help us empathize with others, avoid harmful situations, and connect with God. However, living by our emotions and believing them more than we believe the Bible can turn our lives into a roller coaster.

What do you tend to believe more – Scriptures or what you feel? What tends to guide your decisions – what feels best or what God says? These verses will help you see the need to follow God instead of your emotions and the benefits of doing so.

Psalm 7:9 (GW)

Let the evil within wicked people come to an end, but make the righteous person secure, O righteous God who examines thoughts and emotions.

Philippians 3:18-20 (GW)

18 I have often told you, and now tell you with tears in my eyes, that many live as the enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 In the end they will be destroyed. Their own emotions are their god, and they take pride in the shameful things they do. Their minds are set on worldly things. 20 We, however, are citizens of heaven. We look forward to the Lord Jesus Christ coming from heaven as our Savior.

Proverbs 29:11 (GW)

A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them.

Philippians 4:7 (GW)

Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.

And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)

3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIRV)

7 God gave us his Spirit. And the Spirit doesn’t make us weak and fearful. Instead, the Spirit gives us power and love. He helps us control ourselves.

Psalm 42:5 (Voice)
Why am I so overwrought?
Why am I so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God?
Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One
who saves me and is my life.

Psalm 119:1-2 (Voice)

Happy are the people who walk with integrity,
who live according to the teachings of the Eternal.
2 Happy are the people who keep His decrees,
who pursue Him wholeheartedly.